Had Enough
by DinozzoJr
Summary: A multi-chapter songfic to the the song Had Enough by Breaking Benjamin. A story on Azula's mental downward spiral, starting from when she was a child and ending when she's in her lowly cell.


A/N: I wanted to try a songfic because this song fit Azula SO PERFECTLY. I just... I love her character so much. The song is "Had Enough" by Breaking Benjamin. I think I'll make this a chapter fic. The chapter names will be the song lyrics! This story will be the course of Azula's life, I guess.

**Chapter One: Milk It For All Its Worth**

It was the day she was to begin training with her father. She was told the beginning of the training would only be strategizing. Only slightly disappointed, she admit that strategy was just as important as strength in battle. She would take as much information as she could from this training so they would be able to move on quickly.

She was told to wear her armor, though she didn't quite understand why. When she told her mother about how her training was to begin; the woman looked sad. No... Not sad. Ursa was scared. Azula didn't understand why the woman was scared. She was going to become a powerful warrior! But she was only a child, a pure, untainted child. This would change her and Ursa knew it. Zuko would be fine going through training with his father, he didn't have the heart to destroy things. Azula on the other hand, would do anything to make her father proud. Even as a toddler, the girl was a perfectionist. And sometimes, even then, Ozai would hone that fact and give her tips. he knew what he was doing.

She looked at the door to the throne room, her father had requested she train with him and the Fire Lord for this training. But she heard other voices behind the door as well. Whose voices were they? As far as she knew, there weren't supposed to be any others in the training. She guessed she would just have to wait and see.

Azula pushed the heavy door open to reveal many generals of high rank sitting around a map of the Earth Kingdom, coming up with different plans to conquer it. Ozai saw his daughter and gestured for her to sit on Azulon's left side. It was a great honor to be at the Fire Lord's side during a war meeting and she would not embarrass herself. The child nodded and walked through the flames, sitting beside her grandfather. Everyone in the room watched her and nodded.

The meeting went by rather slowly, the generals spewing out things that she could barely conceive as lucid. But she got most of it. The basic ideas of their plans. If a child could understand them, wouldn't a trained general be able to foil them? Especially earthbenders. Their fighting styles were made for defense (or so she read). How were these generals of such high rank? But she couldn't deny that she was still learning from their words and the plans that her father and grandfather shot down or considered. She watched another one rise to his feet and look at the board.

"We could split the troops into three groups," started the general. " and create a three pronged attack."

Ozai looked at the general as if he were from another nation, but let him continue. "You see, my Lord, we can send in two groups of weaker, less capable troops to attack from the side. And while the Earth Kingdom troops are divided to fight our own distraction; the remaining group conquers."

Ozai looked as if he were actually _considering_ the idea. She couldn't believe it! It was such a simple plan, even those earth peasants will be able to figure it out. And what's worse, they were sacrificing men that could be made stronger. It was slaughter. She couldn't hold it back any longer; she closed her eyes tightly and braced for the worst.

"Your plan is slaughter of our own men!" shouted Azula "Your plan is simple and recycled. They would be able to foil it by just looking out how the men march and stand!"

Ozai was nearly wide-eyed at his daughter, while Azulon's eyes only narrowed. The general's were more than shocked at the child. She stood and walked down to the map. She took the figures symbolizing their troops and set them among the board, before standing straight and speaking.

"If you want to take them down with deception, you should sent in a large group of warriors. Elite warriors. Intimidate the enemy. Have our own troops stay on the defensive side and make them fall back after a certain period of time. Then, while the opposing army lets their guard down go in with an all out frontal attack, plowing through enemy lines and getting to the destination. All the while waging total war." Azula finished and walked back to her grandfather's side.

Where had that knowledge come from? How did she know these tactics? She was a child... She spoke out of turn. She began to look around the room. Every general was wide-eyed, her father had gained a vicious smirk and her grandfather only sat there, staring intently at the map.

Finally, the old royal spoke "My granddaughter has come up with a superb battle tactic. Although; I do not understand how a child of her age could have such military knowledge."

"Father, if I may," started Ozai "she has had full access to the library and attends classes for strategy in battle at the academy."

Azulon nodded "Your daughter has great potential. We will milk that potential for all it's worth."

"But she is a child!" shouted a general "She is a child who-"

"Who came up with a better strategy than you and all of my other generals have managed to do in a long time." said Azulon, looking at Azula. "She will be attending these meetings from now on; to empower and gain knowledge in battle. You are all dismissed."

Azula stood and bowed to her grandfather, leaving the room as quickly as she could. This whole deal was wonderful and all... But she has only _actually_ been formally trained for a year. She was just a kid. How was a little girl supposed to come up with planes almost every week to conquer cities? How was she supposed to know how to set up the murder of men, the destruction of lives and the killing of innocent people.

She went to her room and changed out of her armor and into her daily wear. Now that the meeting was over, the sun was high above her head. For the Royal Meeting were usually scheduled in the morning hours. She walked out into the courtyard to look for her mother and tell her the good news.

Zuko must have still been in school because her mother was sitting alone; feeding the turtle ducks. Azula smiled one of the last genuine smiles that anyone would see and ran over to her. "Mom!" cried the young girl.

Ursa looked up, and saw Azula come over and sit next to her in the soft grass. "Azula," she smiled "how were your lessons with Ozai?"

"I think they went well," Azula nodded, the memories of what transpired moments ago still lingering in her head.

"Oh?" Ursa smiled "What happened?"

"Well," she started "Dad took me to a war meeting! And the generals there weren't very good." Azula shook her head.

"But nevermind that, I came up with a battle plan that Grandfather said he was going to use!" Ursa's eyes widened in shock.

"How...?" She asked completely baffled. This morning, Azula was an innocent little girl who didn't want to go into battle. But now she was a tactician for it? Ozai was turning her daughter into a monster!

Azula was about to answer, but Ozai had come over. "Come, Azula," he said "we must go train. Your skills must be brought to their full potential. But now, we will be training _for_ battle."

Azula nodded then looked at her mother. "Bye, mom!" She said as Ozai was walking away with her.

Anyone could say that that was the last day Azula was ever truly a child. Having a talent can be a gift, but it is also a curse. The Fire Nation would use her talent, for their own needs. Milk it out of her until she is nothing but an empty, cold shell of a person. They were going to make her a weapon. They were going to make her a _monster._


End file.
